


The Sweetest Truth

by AStrangeDaze (TerraRising)



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Jonghyun is a little self-depreciating, M/M, Romance, tags are bare because I'm lazy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 04:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13205595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraRising/pseuds/AStrangeDaze
Summary: "You'll help me right, Jonghyun?"Jonghyun wants to say no, it’s on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah, sure, if you want,” he feels the words slip out even as he wants to kick himself for agreeing.





	The Sweetest Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Greedevi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greedevi/gifts).



> _I'm so sorry if the prompt took a different direction than you wanted, I hope you still like it! (Also I'm sorry for all the typos omg)_

A charmed paper bird settles on his shoulder gently, the tiny beak pecking against his neck for attention and Jonghyun reaches over quickly to snag the construct before Professor Vector could notice and start lecturing him on proper conduct as Head Boy.

 

None of his friends are looking up, all bent over and taking notes meticulously, and so Jonghyun unfolds the note enough to disrupt the animation spell before slipping it into the pocket of his robes surreptitiously. Picking up his quill again, he raced to scribble down the notes that had appeared on the board while he was distracted, hoping he hadn’t missed anything important. No matter though, he’d check with Minhyun during lunch to make sure.

 

When class ends, he packs up slowly, making sure he hadn’t missed anything and stands by the door re-adjusting his yellow tie while waiting for Minhyun to finish talking with Professor Vector. The stern woman had a rare smile on her face as she passed Minhyun a pass for the restricted section before waving him off.

 

“Another pass?” Jonghyun teases the Ravenclaw, “How much research could you possibly need to do? You just got one last week from Professor Li.”

 

Minhyun rolls his eyes good-naturedly and linked their arms, tugging Jonghyun with him towards the Great Hall, “The one Professor Li gave me was just for something else, I can’t use it for Arithmancy tomes.”

 

“Is this also for your research project?” Jonghyun asks, curious.

 

He knows that Minhyun was working hard to qualify for an apprenticeship next year, tackling the new Spell Crafting course offered by Professor Li as an elective for 7th years with an enthusiasm that was mildly terrifying, but his friend hadn’t been clear on exactly what he was working on. Minhyun flashes him a impish grin, “Are you sure you want to know? You’re going to complain that I’m not making any sense once I start rambling again.”

 

Jonghyun coloured slightly and then shoved Minhyun playfully as the two of them made their way towards the Ravenclaw table.

 

“Are you ever going to let that go?” he complains as they take a seat near the middle of one of the tables where Daehwi was waving them over with a bright smile, “That was Third Year! I had a headache and you just started nattering at me about **everything** you learned in Ancient Runes when I could barely wrap my head around Arithmancy. Hey Daehwi.”

 

Minhyun sniffs, reaching over to hug the Fourth year watching them quickly before he starts heaping food onto his plate, grabbing an extra piece of quiche for Jonghyun without having to be asked. “And if you couldn’t understand Introductory Ancient Runes, why do you think you’re going to understand Spell Crafting?”

 

“Because they’re not the same thing?” a new voice drawls from behind them as Seongwoo plops himself into the seat to Jonghyun’s right, the green trim on his robes cycling through a psychedelic pattern that was definitely _not_ uniform standard, “Hwi-ah, Jinyoungie was looking for you earlier. I think he mentioned a Herbology assignment?”

 

“What on _earth_ did you do to your robes?” Jonghyun can’t help but blurt even as Daehwi nods in acknowledgement and starts craning his head around to look for his friend.

 

Seongwoo just grins, looking all too proud of himself as he casually leans forward to steal the bite of food off of Jonghyun’s fork as the other boy sat frozen, staring at his robes. Jonghyun fights back a blush at Seongwoo’s proximity; for someone who hated PDA, Seongwoo had a tendency to ignore personal space and social boundaries when it pleased him.

 

“Do you like it?” he asks around the sausage he stole with a grin, “I can add it to your robes too if you want.”

 

“What did you _do_?”

 

“Spell Crafting,” Seongwoo says in his best dramatic voice, wiggling his fingers at Jonghyun with waggling eyebrows.

 

Minhyun laughs, “That’s what you spent first period doing?”

 

“Hey,” Seongwoo protests, gesturing wildly at Minhyun with a butter knife, “I was trying to see how many transitive patterns I could link with one wand movement, this just ended up being the easiest way to test it and get visual confirmation.”

 

“And the answer to that was?” Minhyun prompts, looking at the trim contemplatively now with interest as Jonghyun groans under his breath.

 

“Arching movements can carry up to five simple elements,” Seongwoo gestures at his robe as if it was self-explanatory, “but sharp jabs can only link two, three if you throw stability out the window.”

 

“Incantation?” Minhyun continues to prod, leaning over Jonghyun now to inspect the robe himself.

 

“ _Sufficio Muto_ ,” Seongwo answers promptly, “Though if you’re clear on intent and don’t need to add the neon element, just _muto_ works fine.”

 

Minhyun nods and pulls out a notebook to scribble the information down quickly. Seongwoo steals another bite of food off Jonghyun’s fork in the meantime before pouting at him, “Didn’t you get my note?”

 

“Oh!” Jonghyun puts his fork down and rummages in his pockets for the forgotten note, “Sorry, I forgot. I didn’t want to open it in front of Professor Vector.”

 

“Ooo,” Daehwi leans forward eagerly, “You animated it to find Jonghyun hyung even from different floors _without_ being noticed by the teachers? Hyung, you have to teach me that spell!”

 

Seongwoo snorts, “You kids are bad enough without being able to communicate long distances unnoticed.”

 

At Daehwi’s disappointed pout, he leans forward conspiratorially, “What you need, my young friend, is a set of notebooks with a modified Protean charm.”

 

“Seongwoo _no_ ,” Jonghyun interrupts empathetically, “They’re going to end up in detention even more than they are now.”

 

“That’s only if they get caught,” Seongwoo points out, “And Daehwi and Jinyoungie are too good to get caught. Getting caught is for Jaehwan who gives himself away by laughing so loudly Filch can hear him from two floors down.”

 

“I didn’t hear anything,” Jonghyun groans, staring at his Head Boy badge mournfully, “Daehwi-ah, don’t plan anything in front of hyung, okay? I don’t want to have to deduct points.”

 

Daehwi grins and nods puckishly, “Plausible deniability, got it hyung! We won’t make your life harder, promise.”

 

“That’s not what I meant exactly, but I’ll take it,” Jonghyun sighs as he unfolds the note Seongwoo had sent him, waving at the younger boy with a fond smile when Daehwi hopped out of his seat with a hurried goodbye now that he spotted Jinyoung, “Actually, why am I even reading this? Seongwoo-ah, just tell me what you wanted to say.”

 

Seongwoo pouts dramatically before flinging an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders and leaning against him heavily, “Jonghyun-ah, you love me, right?”

 

“W-what?” Jonghyun splutters, staring at Seongwoo as he futilely fought back the blush building on his cheeks, coughing into his hand and turning panicked eyes towards Minhyun.

 

Minhyun only gives him an amused look and continues to eat his lunch, being absolutely no help at all, as if he wasn’t honour bound as a best friend to help Jonghyun in moments like these, when he’s trying desperately to hide his massive crush on their mutual friend and Seongwoo goes and says something like _this_. Because Jonghyun isn’t anywhere near ready for Seongwoo to find out, in fact, if he had his way, Seongwoo would never find out.

 

Seongwoo doesn’t need to know that Jonghyun has been crushing on him for the better part of two years now, that at some point near the end of their Fifth year, that soft fondness Jonghyun had always felt towards Seongwoo had taken a sharp turn into unchartered territories. That one day when Seongwoo had thrown himself across Jonghyun’s lap, beaming up at him in the dying light of the early summer sun where they were finishing up Professor Flitwick’s latestCharms assignment by the shores of the Great Lake, Jonghyun’s heart had stuttered and done a funny little flip and he could only think ‘ _oh_ ’ as he stared down at Seongwoo, wondering when he had started to find his friend attractive in _that way_.

 

He had eventually freaked out and unloaded everything onto Minhyun when his friend slept-over during the summer holidays as was their tradition, and ever since then, Minhyun has been bugging Jonghyun to say something. Jonghyun had put it off, insisting it was just a crush and nothing more, but that theory has long since been set on fire and thrown out the window of the Astronomy Tower given how they were four months into their seventh year now and Jonghyun’s heart still threatens to beat straight out of his chest whenever Seongwoo gets into an affectionate mood.

 

Luckily for Jonghyun though, Seongwoo doesn’t seem to be suspecting anything at all, pouting at him in that way all his friends have come to recognize means he’s about to ask for a favour, sticking out his bottom lip and making his eyes go wide and innocent looking. Across from them, Minhyun snorts, knowing that Seongwoo doesn’t even need to put on this show with Jonghyun; there was very little Jonghyun could deny anyone, much less Seongwoo.

 

“I need someone to help me test the spell I’m crafting for my mid-year project,” Seongwoo sidles even closer, eyes imploring as he tugs on the sleeve of Jonghyun’s robes, “Could you help me out when you have some free time?”

 

“Wouldn’t Minhyun be a better choice?” Jonghyun proposes, warring between savouring the close contact and pulling away before Seongwoo noticed his heart racing, “He’s taking Spell Crafting too.”

 

“Urgh,” Seongwoo groans dramatically, flopping across Jonghyun’s thighs in full view of everyone in the Great Hall while Jonghyun turns wide eyes towards Minhyun again, screaming for help internally much to his friend’s amusement, “He’s just going to nitpick at my application of theory and then we’ll argue and nothing will get done! I need constructive feedback, not constant criticism while he tries to take over my project and do it his way.”

 

“My way is better,” Minhyun chimes in shamelessly, “Your leaps in logic are always so convoluted; there are much more efficient paths to get the desired effect.”

 

“Boring, boring,” Seongwoo waves him off, looking up at Jonghyun imploringly as he makes himself comfortable in his lap, “You’re too by the book, Min, it’s no fun that way! See what I mean, though? That’s just how he’s going to be the whole time. You’ll help me, right, Jonghyun? Please?”

 

Jonghyun wants to say no, it’s on the tip of his tongue. The last thing he needs is to spend even more time in close quarters with Seongwoo alone; it’s torture every time and he’s probably going to be trying too hard to act normal to actually give the other boy any feedback at all. But the look that Seongwoo shoots him is so hopeful, his eyes are shining in the light of the thousands of floating candles and Jonghyun feels his breath catch, imagining a thousand galaxies wrapped up in those dark orbs and wonders if he’s just another star caught in Seongwoo’s orbit.

 

“Yeah, sure, if you want,” he feels the words slip out even as he wants to kick himself for agreeing.

 

Seongwoo springs up with a happy grin, throwing his arms around Jonghyun in a quick hug, “You’re the best, Jonghyunie!”

 

Jonghyun melts a little at the affectionate way Seongwoo calls his name, busying himself with eating the rest of his lunch as Seongwoo happily starts piling food onto the plate that has appeared in front of him automatically. He meets Minhyun’s eyes from across the table; his best friend mouths the words ‘ _You’re so whipped’_ at him and he makes a face back. He doesn’t need Minhyun reminding him of that fact, he knows it well enough himself.

 

“Jonghyun?”

 

“Yeah?” he whips around, startled out of his daze to see Seongwoo peering at him curiously.

 

“I said, are you okay helping me out during free period this Thursday? We have the same time slot for study hall, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah, Thursday is fine,” he agrees weakly, “I’ll meet you at the library?”

 

“It’s a date!” Seongwoo chirps, turning away to snag a treacle tart from the tray being summoned to the other end of the table.

 

Jonghyun’s heart almost explodes at those words. _Calm down!_ he tells himself, _He doesn’t mean it that way! It’s just an expression!_

 

Minhyun grins at him, shaking his head slowly with a teasing grin and Jonghyun suppresses the urge to throw a stinging hex at his friend.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Were you waiting for long?”

 

Seongwoo skids to a halt in front of him, beaming brilliantly even as he juggles the stack of tomes that Jonghyun is almost certain he had snuck out of the library without the express approval of Madame Pince.

 

“No, I just got here. Should we go find a free table?”

 

“Naw,” Seongwoo’s eyes are dancing mischievously and Jonghyun’s stomach starts to do acrobatics when the other boy reaches over casually to tug at Jonghyun’s wrist, having successfully wrestled all his illegal book loans into a black messenger bag that had to have at least five different expansion charms on it, “I have a place in mind. Since I actually have to show you the spellcasting, we can’t do it here or Madame Pince will have my head.”

 

“W-where are we going then?” Jonghyun stumbles after Seongwoo, trying to regain his composure when the other doesn’t relinquish his grip on Jonghyun’s arm.

 

Seongwoo throws an impish grin over his shoulder, adjusting his grip until his hand slides down, slotting their fingers together casually into a loose handhold that Jonghyun swears is going to make his heart combust. He prays that Seongwoo didn’t notice the way Jonghyun’s fingers spasmed in his hold, hopes that his hand doesn’t start to get all sweaty and disgusting while Seongwoo is holding it. “That would be telling,” the taller boy sings, “How do I know you’re not going to use this knowledge to bust me later on?”

 

Jonghyun snorts. “Is this a confession of wrongdoing? Should I just deduct points and assign you detention now?”

 

“Why, Head Boy Jonghyun throwing around such _baseless_ accusations?!” Seongwoo mock gasps and Jonghyun can’t help but giggle at the comical face Seongwoo is pulling.

 

“How is it baseless when you’re practically confessing?”

 

“It’s not a confession! Only a question proposing the hypothetical, surely the magnanimous Kim Jonghyun won’t use such words against me? When I’m about to disclose one of my most jealously guarded secrets to him?”

 

“Between the latest generation of Weasleys and Potters, I’m pretty we have figured out most of the secret rooms and passages,” Jonghyun points out, recalling how exasperated Headmistress McGonagall had looked by the fifth time she had to fish James Potter and friends out of nooks and crannies they had no business being in before the first month of their first year was even over.

 

“They might have discovered all the existing rooms,” Seongwoo smirks, looking far too pleased with himself as he draws Jonghyun to walk closer to him, pushing a tapestry depicting two men on horseback hunting boar to the side casually to reveal a cramped set of previously hidden stairs towards the fourth floor.

 

He lights their way easily with conjured bluebell flames as he pulls Jonghyun close behind him until the back of Jonghyun’s hand brushes against the small of Seongwoo’s back with every step. “But,” there’s a manic gleam to Seongwoo’s eyes now mixed in with his particular brand of mischief, “they are fools to stop there. We have no such compunctions.”

 

Seongwoo leads them through winding hallways until they come to a dead end housing nothing but a statue of a hippogriff rearing proudly and stops there to look at Jonghyun almost triumphantly. Jonghyun stares back even though he can feel the thrum of excitement coursing through his veins in answer to being the centre of Seongwoo’s attention. “What did you do?” Jonghyun breathes finally and Seongwoo wides so widely that his eyes are hidden entirely from sight.

 

“ _We_ moved beyond discovery to creation,” the cut of his teeth seems sharper than a cutting hex, its gleam a sliver of the moon, “The Den is located in the fourth floor of Hogwarts, as the end of the Hippogriff’s corridor.”

 

Jonghyun bites back a gasp as a set of ornate oaken doors materialize into view. “Tell me you didn’t.”

 

“We did,” Seongwoo declares gleefully.

 

“You guys _hid_ a part of Hogwarts under the Fidelius,” he can barely believe the words he says even as they leave his mouth.

 

“A weaker modified version of the Fidelius. There is more than one keeper to the secret, and its effect is closer to a selective Disillusionment charm that’s been anchored to the door with runes than it is a proper Secret.”

 

“You guys are insane,” he laughs even as he allows Seongwoo to lead him in through the door, revealing a cozy living room outfitted with several book shelves, low tables surrounded by an excessive amount of cushions, and a small fireplace, “The Headmistress is going to have you all in detention until you graduate. Merlin’s beard, if the Board of Governors find out, they’ll have all your heads on a pike.”

 

“All of us on the same pike?”

 

“Yes. Oh Morgana,” Jonghyun exclaims, “How many of you were involved in this? Minhyun is part of this, isn’t he?”

 

Seongwoo just smiles, setting down his bag by one of the tables and lowering himself unto a pile of cushions. Jonghyun sits down across from him heavily, not really needing an answer to his question, watching as Seongwoo pulled out his materials and sorted through everything. “I’m supposed to be his best friend,” Jonghyun doesn’t mean for his words to come out as a whine, but it does, “How could he keep this from me?”

 

“Easily,” Seongwoo throws his head back and laughs at the petulant glare Jonghyun throws him, “Aww, don’t be like Jonghyunnie-ah! He wanted to tell you, honest, but it wasn’t just his decision to make and you know Minhyun is too considerate to push. And who would want our esteemed Head Boy to know of our illicit hideout?”

 

“Then how come you’ve brought me here?”

 

“I don’t nearly care as much about what the others think. Besides, you won’t tell.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I trust you.”

 

That simple statement is said so sincerely that Jonghyun splutters. He waits for denials to spill from his mouth, waits for Seongwoo to laugh and say he was just kidding, but all he gets it a rare soft smile and a gentle hand laid on top of his own wringing fingers. “I trust you,” Seongwoo repeats and Jonghyun swallows hard, trying to ignore the connotations attached to those words when it comes from a Slytherin; he succeeds but just barely, it’s self-sabotage at its finest, a real catch 22.

 

He clears his throat deliberately, drawing his hands back, “So, what did you want me to help you with?”

 

Seongwoo straightens as well, facial expression shifting as he’s instantly all business, pushing a lopsided roll of parchment towards Jonghyun. “Can you read this over and tell me if it makes sense?”

 

“Sure,” Jonghyun scrambles to have something else to do, anything else to distract him from things he wasn’t ready to confront, “I can do that, no problem. What are you working on anyways?”

 

“An incantation for a truth spell, it’ll imitate the effects of Veritaserum.”

 

“Ambitious,” Jonghyun riffles through the notes, impressed but skeptical.

 

Seongwoo laughs and taps the badge on his chest with a smirk, “Comes with the territory.”

 

“Of course, of course. Okay let me see…..”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jonghyun eyes the end of of Seongwoo’s sycamore wand apprehensively as the other reads through his notes one last time before flashing him a reassuring smile.

 

“Ready?”

 

“Not really, but sure.”

 

“Relax,” Seongwoo coaxes, “This won’t hurt at all. Or well it’s not supposed to so if it does you need to tell me so I can make the right adjustments-”

 

“Seongwoo-ah, this really isn’t reassuring me,” Jonghyun laughs nervously, hands fluttering as he pulls on the edge of his robes, “Are you sure we shouldn’t do this closer to the Hospital Wing?”

 

“We’re fine! We’re fine! This is going to work, I know it. Ready?”

 

“Alright, hit me with it.”

 

Seongwoo flourishes his wand in a neat figure-eight, ending with a sharp jab towards Jonghyun.

 

“Fateor Veritas.”

 

A light glowing mist shoots out from the end of Seongwoo’s wand and settles over Jonghyun’s form. He gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, there was a slight tingling but that faded relatively quickly and Jonghyun relaxed, blinking as he flexed his hands to make sure they were still functional. No missing limbs, no areas that were suddenly numb or burning with pain and, he reached up to pat his head and face, nope, didn’t end up bald either.

 

“Well?”

 

“Well what?”

 

“Did it work?”

 

“How am I supposed to know?”

 

Seongwoo rolls his eyes, “How do you feel?”

 

“Glad that your spell didn’t end up vanishing my nose or something.”

 

“What about when the spell hit? Anything feel different then?”

 

“There was a slight tingling, that’s all I noticed.”

 

“Okay, I’m going to ask you some questions now to see if it worked, okay?”

 

“Go ahead,” Jonghyun shifted on the balls of his feet, “Hey, can I sit down for this part?”

 

“Yeah, sure, you don’t need to stand, sorry, I just wanted to get a full visual on the first testing,” Seongwoo jots down a couple of notes hurriedly as they settled back at the table they had claimed for themselves, “Okay, Jonghyun, how old are you?”

 

“Seventeen.”

 

“Favourite colour?”

 

“Green,” he eyes the trim on Seongwoo’s robes and bites his lips.

 

“Least favourite food?”

 

“Tomatoes.”

 

“Favourite past time?”

 

“Reading comics.”

 

“Favourite animal?”

 

“Turtles.”

 

“Favourite person?”

 

“You,” the word slips out of his mouth completely unbidden, even as he can feel mortification seize up the muscles of his throat, eyes wide as he stares at Seongwoo.

 

The other boy pauses, quill hovering above his parchment before he sets the unnecessarily ostentatious peacock feather Minki had gifted to him last Christmas down slowly with a deliberation that screamed danger to Jonghyun. He should leave, he should get up and make his excuses, he should crack a joke to diffuse the situation but no that was Seongwoo’s specialty. Maybe he should just make up an excuse and run but nothing comes to mind, everything is blank except for Seongwoo and his own dread.

 

“Jonghyun-ah,” Seongwoo’s voice is soft, deceptively calm, the tone that you use to talk to small children and frightened animals, “How do you feel about me?”

 

Jonghyun tries to clamp his mouth shut, to clench his jaw and bite down on his lips, seal off all possibility of him responding but there’s a tingle and the muscles of his jaw unclenches. _Tell him_ , a voice whispers in his mind, _tell him how you feel, what’s the harm? You want to tell him, don’t you?_ The words are drawn out from his vocal cords before he even realizes what’s happened.

 

“I love you.”

 

The world around him freezes in that second and then Jonghyun springs to his feet before Seongwoo can grab his hand, he runs for the doors without looking back, doesn’t look back to see that contrite and pitying expression that’s surely on Seongwoo’s face. He shoves the doors open, abandoning his bag and his pride, ignoring Seongwoo’s frantic cries of his name and keeps running.

 

He needs, he needs someone to talk to. Minhyun? No, Seongwoo would look there first.

 

His feet change course towards Gryffindor Tower without another thought.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Jonghyun-ah, you can’t hide here forever.”

 

“I can try.”

 

Dongho sighs and looks at where his friend has buried himself under all the laundry piled on Dongho’s four poster bed stubbornly.

 

“It’s almost been a week.”

 

“I know.”

 

“You haven’t left except to go to classes, you’re not even eating in the Great Hall. You can’t keep bribing the house elves to bring you food.”

 

“I’m not bribing them, we’re friends,” Jonghyun insists.

 

“Why not just barricade yourself in the Hufflepuff dorms? Your year mates will help.”

 

“Seongwoo knows how to get inside, there’s only so much they can do.”

 

“So change the password and then barricade yourself inside your rooms then! You have your own suite, Mr. Head Boy.”

 

“But I need someone to talk to! And Seongwoo will just chat up the portrait outside my room until it lets him in. Stop trying to kick me out, Kang Dongho!”

 

“How does _that_ even work? And I’m not kicking you out, but you can only keep hiding in my dorm for so long before someone reports you.”

 

“I’m the Head Boy, who’s going to report me?”

 

“Wow that abuse of power, a first for you, Jonghyun-ah. Are you sure the spell wore off completely?”

 

Jonghyun glares at the reminder of the root of his woes, turning his back to Dongho and the bigger boy sighs, settling on the edge of his own bed tentatively to lay a hand on Jonghyun’s shoulder gently. “Jonghyun-ah, why don’t you just talk to him?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I made a complete fool out of myself, Dongho-ah, I don’t need to stick behind to hear the ‘I’m sorry, I only see you as a friend’ speech.”

 

“How are you even so certain of that?”

 

“Because he’s Ong Seongwoo, everyone’s favourite Slytherin! Good looks, good family background, good grades, charming to a fault, star Chaser of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and everyone’s dream boyfriend. I’m just me!”

 

“And what exactly is wrong with you?” Dongho throws his hands up in exasperation, “You’re Kim Jonghyun, Head Boy, everyone’s favourite person, period. What does Seongwoo have that you don’t match up to?”

 

“Everything,” he whispers, eyes staring into nothing as Dongho looks on disapprovingly, “Everything. I already know I can’t have him. We’re friends, good friends, it’s enough.”

 

The door to Dongho’s dorm room bursts open banging against the wall loudly and an enraged Minki storms in, “I’ve had enough of this, this is an intervention.”

 

Dongho groans loudly, dropping his head into his hands, “Minki, I told you to stay outside, I was talking to him!”

 

“I gave you a week,” the steely eyed boy hisses, “A week and you have gotten nowhere with him so we’re going to do this my way.”

 

“Minki-ah-”

 

“ **No,”** he marched up to the bed where Jonghyun was cowering under various articles of clothing and flicked his wand to the side angrily, stripping Jonghyun of his flimsy cover, “Kim Jonghyun, get up right now. You’re coming with me.”

 

“Minki-ah,” Jonghyun sighs, barely keeping the whine out of his voice, “I really don’t think-”

 

“You have been avoiding this for a week and who do you think has had to deal with Seongwoo’s overdramatic moping?” Minki jabs his wand into Jonghyun’s chest harshly, “Me. His roommate. Get up right now, you’re going to fix this or I’m going to hex you into next Sunday. You’re being an idiot.”

 

“I didn’t do anything-”

 

“You ran away after confessing! How is that nothing?!”

 

“It was a farce, I was under a spell!”

 

“A truth spell!”

 

“I don’t need the confirmation, okay?”

 

“Morgana’s left tit-”

 

“Minki!” Jonghyun sounds scandalized by the profanity and Minki snorts.

 

“Oh stuff it, you’re both morons and perfect for each other. Pick him up,” he nods at Dongho who stood helplessly at the side as Minki raged.

 

“What?” Jonghyun balked.

 

“Either get up and follow me to face things like a man, or Dongho is going to carry you downstairs. If you make me put you in a bodybind, I can’t guarantee that I won’t bang your pretty face on every other step we go down.”

 

“You’re acting like a Gryffindor,” Jonghyun accuses as he’s manhandled to his feet, flinching at the freshening charm that Minki casts on him as it always leaves him feeling like his skin had been scrubbed raw.

 

“Well you clearly can’t comprehend subtlety so here we are,” Minki snarks back, “Unlike some, I’m not too caught up on stereotypes, I care more about getting results and right now I need you to get your head out of your ass and _talk_ to the other idiot before he drives me insane.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hi.”

 

Jonghyun looks up and his body seizes again as he fights the urge to bolt, knowing that Minki was standing guard on the other side of the doors with Dongho. He’s never heard Seongwoo quite so timid as the Slytherin peeks inside The Den and slips inside.

 

“H-hey,” he clears his throat nervously.

 

“How…how have you been?”

 

“Good. You?” Jonghyun looks up at Seongwoo and looks down again just as quickly, biting his lips.

 

“Confused,” Seongwoo admits with a laugh and Jonghyun’s head whips up at the easy way Seongwoo is opening up, “You ran away from me.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay, I,” he sighs heavily, sitting down and flopping over the cushions littering the floor, “I shouldn’t have asked that question. I overstepped my bounds and I apologize. Will you forgive me?”

 

“Forgive you?” Jonghyun echoes, feeling lost.

 

“I mean, you don’t have to, I get it. But…..I really miss my friend.”

 

“Friend,” he parrots, the word tasting like ashes in his mouth, he can feel the grit of every letter’s remains between his teeth.

 

Seongwoo is silent for a while before he heaves himself up enough to rest his head on the low table and gaze at Jonghyun’s tense form, “That’s what you want, right?”

 

“What….what I want?”

 

“For me to forget you said anything. To go back to the way things were. Maybe the spell malfunctioned, maybe a it was a joke on your part. Whatever it was, you didn’t want to tell me that, so I’ll forget it. I’ll obliviate myself if you want.”

 

“You hate it that much?”

 

The accusation slips out so easily Jonghyun wonders himself if the spell has been cast on him again without him knowing.

 

“ _You_ hate it so much you avoided me for a week,” Seongwoo points out, lips twisting bitterly, “I can be considerate too, you know. If that’s what you want, I’ll accept it. I know those words weren’t meant for me.”

 

“W-what?”

 

Seongwoo stands up with a sigh, shoulders slumped so uncharacteristically Jonghyun could only stare incredulously, picking up his bag and heading towards the doors. “Just, I’m sorry, I understand if you’re still upset so I won’t push. I just wanted to apologize,” his hands hover over the door handles, when he speaks he does so almost into the grain of the wood but Jonghyun can hear every word, “For the record though, Jonghyun? I love you too.”

 

He’s out the door before Jonghyun can react.

 

He’s out the door and walking down the corridor away from Jonghyun before even Minki and Dongho standing guard outside can react.

 

Jonghyun startles to his feet, heart pounding and in danger of plummeting out of his chest as he watches Seongwoo leave, wondering if that’s what Seongwoo had felt when he ran away last time. “Seongwoo!” he calls, the first attempt is weak, the syllables dissolve into nothing the moment they make it past his lips and he gathers his courage, gathers his indignant disbelief and tries again, “Ong Seongwoo!”

 

Seongwoo pauses though he doesn’t turn around and Jonghyun can feel his desperation grow even as the first traces of anger licks at his stomach, “Ong Seongwoo, don’t you dare walk away just like that.”

 

Seongwoo whirls around now, fire in his eyes that had been carefully tucked away before blazing to life as he stalks back towards Jonghyun until he’s right up in Jonghyun’s face, the scant inches he has over Jonghyun suddenly makes it feel like Seongwoo towers over him. Minki and Dongho exchange quick looks before edging backwards, making themselves scarce. “How dare **I** walk away? Like what? Like how you did last week?”

 

Jonghyun flounders for a moment before he abandons his senses altogether, “You can’t just say something like that and leave. You can’t- what are you doing assuming everything all on your own?”

 

“Like you haven’t?” Seongwoo throws his words back in his face mercilessly, “Are we going to pretend we aren’t here right now because _you_ assumed everything all on your own and refused to so much as breathe in the same room as me for a week? What am I supposed to do? What do you want me to say?”

 

“Not this!” Jonghyun yells back (he’s yelling, when did he start yelling?), “I don’t want your pity, I don’t want you to let me down gently just because you want your friend back. I don’t want it!”

 

“Pity?” Seongwoo looks like Jonghyun had just reached out and slapped him across the face, “Is that what you think this is? I confessed to you out of pity?”

 

“What else could it be?”

 

“What else-” Seongwoo cuts himself off with a sharp laugh, one that cuts into Jonghyun as much as it seems to scrape against Seongwoo’s jugular, “Kim Jonghyun, you’re impossible.”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jonghyun’s hackles are up now even though he can’t recall the last time he’s had to have them up around Seongwoo.

 

“What will it take for you to stop thinking about yourself like that? What do I have to do to make you believe me?”

 

“You’re not making any sense.”

 

“You know what? Fine. Maybe Minki was right. You don’t get subtlety, Merlin, you don’t even get it when I say it outright, so we’ll do this another way.”

 

He whips his wand out, a strange determination in his eyes that has Jonghyun taking several hurried steps back, wand moving in a familiar figure eight pattern.

 

“What are you-”

 

“Fateor Veritas!”

 

Jonghyun throws himself to the side to try and avoid the spell rather than fumble with his wand to throw up a protego. There was no way he was going through that humiliation again, he thinks with his eyes clenched shut in anticipation, in hope. When there’s nothing he opens his eyes tentatively and realizes his actions had been pointless. He stares, mouth gaping as the light misty sheen settles around Seongwoo whose wand is still aimed at himself.

 

“What did you- why?!”

 

“Because you refuse to believe me,” Seongwoo looks resigned as much as he is determined, a contradiction of emotions just as much as he was a paradox wrapped up in a person, “Ask me.”

 

“I don’t-”

 

“Oh for Merlin’s sake, would you just ask the bloody question already Kim Jonghyun?”

 

Jonghyun is silent, staring at Seongwoo wide-eyed still, disbelieving.

 

“Well?” the taller boy stands there expectantly.

 

Minki or Dongho, probably Dongho, had shut the doors behind them considerately shortly afterthey started shouting, though Jonghyun would bet his entire Chocolate Frog card collection Minki has an Extendable Ear he’s abusing right now. He hesitates and then presses that same hesitation down; Seongwoo has thrown his pride away already, the least Jonghyun can do is meet him half-way.

 

“Ong Seongwoo, how do you feel about me?”

 

“I love you.”

 

Jonghyun’s breath stutters and catches with every beat of his racing heart.

 

“Oh.”

 

“Oh? _Oh_?” Seongwoo throws his hands up into the air, eyes turned heavenward ask if asking for great patience, “That’s all you’re going to say?”

 

Jonghyun laughs helplessly, even the disgruntled face Seongwoo pulls can’t stop it. He laughs because Seongwoo made everything seem so simple now, laughs because he had been such a fool, running around in circles in his own head all along. “Hey, no, no,” he hurries forward to clasp Seongwoo’s hands in his own at the flash of hurt in the other’s eyes, “I’m not laughing at your confession, I’m just, I’ve been so silly.”

 

“Well I’m glad we’ve established that,” Seongwoo grumbles, still pouting.

 

“I’m sorry,” Jonghyun says softly, shyly lifting their joined hands to his lips until he brushes the back of Seongwoo’s knuckles carefully, “Forgive me?”

 

“Always,” the word comes out of Seongwoo’s mouth easily, much to his chagrin.

 

“Does that mean you’re always going to forgive me?” Jonghyun teases.

 

“Yes,” Seongwoo pulls a face when he can’t stop the response, “I don’t think I would ever stay mad at you.”

 

Jonghyun giggles and then is promptly mortified at the sound that escaped his own lips, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

“Jonghyunnie,” Seongwoo whines, “That’s not fair.”

 

“How long does this spell last?”

 

“Jonghyun-ah!”

 

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding……hey, Seongwoo?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

He makes sure to face the other fully, standing on his tiptoes until he can whisper into Seongwoo’s ear, “I love you too.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jonghyun is scribbling down the last lines of his Transfiguration essay when he hears the portrait guarding his rooms swing open and a familiar light tingling sensation settle over his limbs.

 

“Kim Jonghyun, how do you feel about me?” a teasing voice chimes in his ear as Seongwoo’s familiar scent tickles his nose, the other draping his lanky frame over Jonghyun’s shoulders.

 

Jonghyun rolls his eyes, “I love you, you fool.”

 

Seongwoo pouts and turns his head to peck the corner of Jonghyun’s mouth with a pitiful whine.

 

“That last part was unnecessary.”

 

“You are a fool.”

 

“I’m a fool for you, you mean,” Seongwoo grins shamelessly.

 

“You’re a fool in general,” Jonghyun retorts, “You know you don’t have to keep casting that spell right?”

 

“I don’t know what you mean,” Seongwoo laughs, halting his fingers’ ministrations in Jonghyun’s hair to scratch at his own neck sheepishly.

 

Jonghyun pushes his essay away and stands, bringing Seongwoo with him when the other refuses to let go, turning where he stood, still encircled in the taller boy’s arms, until he could return the hug. He turns to burrow his face into the crook of Seongwoo’s neck and breathes in his heady cologne with a contented sigh.

 

“What I mean,” he pulls back just enough to meet Seongwoo’s eyes, reaching up with one hand to grip the back of Seongwoo’s head and bring their faces closer together, “Is that you don’t need to cast a truth spell on me just to ask me that question.”

 

“But I like hearing your answer,” Seongwoo leans forward until their noses brush and then laughs at the ticklish sensation, delight dancing in those warm brown orbs in a way that never fails to make Jonghyun feel like someone had hit him with a Jelly Legs Jinx.

 

“I love you,” Jonghyun repeats just to bask in the way happiness writes itself across Seongwoo’s face again at the sound of those three syllables, “I love you and I’ll say it as much as you want me to, you don’t need a spell.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Forever.”

 

Seongwoo presses closer and Jonghyun can feel him smiling into their kiss, can feel his lips quirk upwards in answer. They stay standing in each other’s arms, exchanging soft kisses and grinning like fools.

 

“Kim Jonghyun,” Seongwoo says, breaking their tender silence many kisses later.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Did you just propose to me?”

 

Jonghyun chuckles nervously and ducks out from under Seongwoo’s arms, “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

 

“You said forever!”

 

He bolts towards the doors of his rooms without responding with Seongwoo hot on his heels.

 

“Kim Jonghyun! Get back here!”

 

Other students turn to watch the spectacle as Seongwoo chases Jonghyun through the halls, their Head Boy laughing freely with his head thrown back as the couple stumbled out into the courtyard, Jonghyun still breathless with laughter and Seongwoo following with the largest grin on his face.

 

 _Someday I'll say it_ , Jonghyun thinks as he dodges Seongwoo’s arms and shoves a startled Guanlin into his boyfriend’s path instead, _but not today_.

 


End file.
